I thank everyone who helped or gave advice about my broken safety, much appreciated.

Now that I have this little 1973 P64 beauty I had some questions about cleaning. I did a field strip, took off the grips, and removed the safety, loaded chamber indicator, firing pin, and safety detent/spring and cleaned the heck out of everything with hoppes and then degreaser - followed by a thorough lube of most places (light/little in the firing pin channel/dedent channel/chamber indicator et al).

I didn't break down anything else, but it seems to be working just fine, and I have not shot it yet. It is stock other than the Iron Grips and 22# recoil spring I put in.

My thinking is to shoot it as much as I can in the next couple months, then maybe do a full detailed breakdown and clean and lube - then decide if I want to change the hammer spring. Should I clean out any other parts? Anything I should look for when I shoot it? Any other parts that are often worn?

Sometimes when I have a grip on the gun and pull the trigger a bit, the trigger bar sometimes squeaks a bit against the grip on the inside. I imagine that just happens sometimes, but I wanted to ask if that is an issue.

I also want to mark the front sight, but what is the best option in folks opinion - white paint pen or some other color/medium? Worth it to mark the back too, or just front?

Very much enjoying working on this and cannot wait to shoot it soon.

Thank you all for being such an informative and helpful community!

Cyndic

"Under no pretext should arms and ammunition be surrendered; any attempt to disarm the workers must be frustrated, by force if necessary." - Karl Marx

I thank everyone who helped or gave advice about my broken safety, much appreciated.

Now that I have this little 1973 P64 beauty I had some questions about cleaning. I did a field strip, took off the grips, and removed the safety, loaded chamber indicator, firing pin, and safety detent/spring and cleaned the heck out of everything with hoppes and then degreaser - followed by a thorough lube of most places (light/little in the firing pin channel/dedent channel/chamber indicator et al).

I didn't break down anything else, but it seems to be working just fine, and I have not shot it yet. It is stock other than the Iron Grips and 22# recoil spring I put in.

My thinking is to shoot it as much as I can in the next couple months, then maybe do a full detailed breakdown and clean and lube - then decide if I want to change the hammer spring. Should I clean out any other parts? Anything I should look for when I shoot it? Any other parts that are often worn?

Sometimes when I have a grip on the gun and pull the trigger a bit, the trigger bar sometimes squeaks a bit against the grip on the inside. I imagine that just happens sometimes, but I wanted to ask if that is an issue.

I also want to mark the front sight, but what is the best option in folks opinion - white paint pen or some other color/medium? Worth it to mark the back too, or just front?

Very much enjoying working on this and cannot wait to shoot it soon.

Thank you all for being such an informative and helpful community!

Cyndic

I shoot TRAP with one fellow. He states that he does not clean any of his firearms, until they stop working.

As long as you have removed all of the cosmoline that may have been in the gun, it should function normally. The trigger bar may be slightly bowed. Mine was rubbing on the inside of the grip until I carefully straightened it. It still makes a little contact, but nothing that is noticeable.
I was taught to always clean a firearm after shooting it, and before putting it away for an extended period. This has served me well for more than 40 years. My military experience taught me that keeping a weapon clean kept it running when I needed it. This is a habit that I think I will keep and recommend it to everyone.
It will preserve your weapon and make it as reliable as it can be should you need it in an emergency.
If you will never shoot it anywhere but a trap range, leaving it dirty won't ever cost your life but may disappoint you when it fails from lack of maintenance.
Some guns are prone to certain problems because of their design. It may be a weak part, or an area that tends to collect debris from shooting. Running such a weapon while extremely dirty could increase stress on the weak part and cause premature failure or binding.

It shot beautifully. And I'm going to clean and lube it. I always clean an lube my firearms every, or every other time I shoot.

I'll check the trigger bar.

I don't mind the single action pull but of course the double is awful. I MIGHT try the 19# hammer spring but I don't much care to loosen the SA anymore - it's pretty nice. I may eventually carry it, so keeping it tip top is needed.

What I will do when I clean up from shooting is field strip and see if I can figure out the trigger bar disassembly. Maybe I'll take the frame down this time. But that scares me. perhaps install a hammer spring and try it out.

Loving my P64!

"Under no pretext should arms and ammunition be surrendered; any attempt to disarm the workers must be frustrated, by force if necessary." - Karl Marx

Disassembling the frame is not really difficult. There are some good videos that can be helpful. Take your time and be careful not to let the springs fly! It is a good idea to use a large clear bag to keep everything contained the first time you take it apart.